Bullet Girls Phantasia
- January 16, 2020
- SHADE Inc.
- 10h median play time
"Bullet Girls Phantasia" is an action game where players control a group of girls with varied abilities, battling enemies in fantasy environments. The game features gun customization and a unique "Dress Break" system that reveals characters' undergarments upon defeated enemies. It's a spin-off of the "Bullet Girls" series, known for its fanservice and tactical combat.
Reviews
- The game features a wide variety of well-drawn anime girls and extensive fanservice elements, including destructible outfits and humorous interactions.
- Gameplay is simple and can be enjoyable for those looking for mindless fun, with a decent variety of weapons and character customization options.
- The story, while not groundbreaking, is lighthearted and comedic, providing a fun context for the gameplay.
- The gameplay is repetitive and clunky, with poor enemy AI and a lack of meaningful challenge, making missions feel like a slog.
- The PC port suffers from optimization issues, including long loading times, a 30 FPS cap, and awkward controls that are better suited for consoles.
- The game has a significant amount of dialogue and cutscenes that can feel drawn out, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
- story162 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in "Bullet Girls Phantasia" is generally perceived as light-hearted and comedic, featuring a simple plot that often feels more like a visual novel due to its lengthy cutscenes and dialogue. While some players find the character interactions and fanservice entertaining, many criticize the overall narrative as lackluster and predictable, with repetitive missions and a lack of enemy diversity contributing to a monotonous experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game appeals to fans of the genre who appreciate the blend of humor and fanservice, though it may not satisfy those seeking a compelling storyline.
“The story itself is very comedic and light-hearted, and that's one of the game's greatest strengths.”
“Overall, I found the story to be pretty good.”
“This game is much more about the story, characters, and drilling than the gameplay.”
“The third-person action/jrpg part exists only to breathe life into the fanservice part: two and a half identical maps consisting of several interconnected mini-arenas where short missions take place, enemies as dumb as cardboard boxes, controls clearly bolted on to a console port with all the consequences that entails, pointless but massive RPG progression tree, unbearably long dialogues and loading screens... I already feel exhausted just describing it.”
“Story cutscenes are lengthy and numerous, which makes this seem more like a visual novel.”
“This game is basically Senran Kagura, but with guns, dumber AI, forgettable characters, a mediocre story and soundtrack, and lewder fan service that honestly puts Senran Kagura to shame at times.”
- gameplay82 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Gameplay is generally described as repetitive and clunky, with many players finding it lacks depth and meaningful choices. While the third-person shooter mechanics can be enjoyable for casual play, they often become monotonous after a few hours, and the game is primarily seen as a vehicle for fan service rather than a strong gameplay experience. Some players appreciate the simplicity and fun of the mechanics, especially on higher difficulties, but overall, the gameplay is considered passable and not the main draw of the game.
“The gameplay is actually pretty simple; you control one heroine and with another NPC of your choice, go through a series of levels mowing down hordes of enemies with guns and special attacks.”
“The achievements are grindy, but the overall gameplay is enjoyable.”
“Then gameplay takes some getting used to but is solid and the game runs at 60fps.”
“Gameplay is terribly repetitive and clunky.”
“The trouble with the gameplay is that there is a lack of meaningful choices to make.”
“The game is worth it but only when it's on sale because it feels like they didn't put any effort into the gameplay; you're mostly buying it because it's a waifu anime shooter fan service game.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally praised for their vibrant colors and 90's anime aesthetics, evoking a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic titles. However, the port suffers from limitations such as a 30 fps cap, lack of adjustable settings, and subpar mouse support, which detracts from the overall experience. While some users note that mods can enhance the graphical detail, the absence of substantial graphical options remains a significant drawback.
“The vibrant colors and 90's anime aesthetics rekindle whimsical recollections as the combination of themes forms into a replicated alternate reality artifact that can only be described as 'Gauntlet Legends with hot lasses, magic, mayhem, and machine guns!'”
“Of course, the graphics are good.”
“The graphics are really good, up there with Valkyrie Drive.”
“An does not offer a way to adjust graphics.”
“- PS2 graphics (enemies and environments).”
“The only drawback is the average quality of the port on the PC: 30 fps lock, no graphics settings, and poorly implemented mouse support.”
- grinding26 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and frustrating, often leading to long loading times and slow experience gains that can hinder enjoyment. While some appreciate the challenge and the overall gameplay, many express dissatisfaction with the grindy nature of achievements and leveling, with some even resorting to purchasing consumables to expedite progress. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable for those who embrace grinding, but it can become tedious for others.
“Basically, this means you have to grind, and I can't stand grinding, which is probably why I'm writing this review while taking a break from the game after hitting a level wall and not really feeling like playing it anymore.”
“The 3rd person shooter is fine, but unless you like grinding it out with the slow experience gain and item drops, the true experience is through intensive drilling.”
“Oh look… there's a leveling system with an unnecessarily large upgrade tree in this game too. In fact, the game is too grindy to the point that there's a paid experience x2 consumable item on the PS4 version.”
- humor20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its lighthearted and playful tone, featuring well-drawn, funny anime characters and amusing dialogues that often evoke laughter. While the story is simple and sometimes inconsistent in its comedic delivery, the game excels in fanservice and entertaining interactions, making it a fun experience overall. Players can expect a mix of cute character designs, humorous scenarios, and a charmingly bad enemy AI that adds to the comedic value.
“It's all really funny and a good way to spend some lighthearted time.”
“A very good game - cute girls for every taste, funny dialogs, a lot of fan service (especially minigames!) and simple gameplay for a reasonable price.”
“Do not expect a good story, but expect an incredibly talented cast of voice actors and some legitimately hilarious and heartwarming character interactions.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization for PC has been widely criticized, with many users describing it as poorly executed and clunky, leading to unstable frame rates and frustrating controls. While some players enjoyed the gameplay, the overall consensus is that the lack of proper optimization significantly detracts from the experience, making it hard to recommend.
“A game that is well optimized.”
“The port is terrible, optimization is... well, no one knows where it is... aiming and movement is really clunky.”
“If you are looking for a nice 'anime' 'fan-service' 3rd person shooter, and are able to forgive unstable frame rate and poor optimization, then I would recommend this to you.”
“Despite the fun I had with this game, I cannot recommend it in good faith because of how poorly optimized the game is.”
- character development6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in "Bullet Girls Phantasia" is noted for its appealing character design and humor, but it lacks depth and variety, leading to a repetitive experience. Reviewers suggest that enhancing the lore and character development in a potential sequel could elevate the series significantly. Overall, while the characters are visually charming, the current execution feels somewhat shallow.
“If its creators improved the lore, upped the enemy encounter variety, spruced up the environments, and deepened the overall character development in a sequel, the series could blossom into something magnificent and, dare I say, unique.”
“It has such great character design and physics, but the game feels repetitive and empty.”
“Great character design, with overall very cute and funny girls.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks the depth needed to truly engage players.”
“I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, making it hard to connect with them.”
“There is a significant lack of meaningful choices that affect character growth throughout the game.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as nice, though it is considered mediocre overall, with some reviewers noting that it is forgettable compared to other aspects of the game. Sound effects are deemed decent, but the soundtrack does not leave a lasting impression.
“The music is nice and the sound effects are decent.”
“The music is nice and the sound effects are decent.”
“This game is basically Senran Kagura, but with guns, dumber AI, forgettable characters, a mediocre story and soundtrack, and lewder fan service that honestly puts Senran Kagura to shame at times.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of frustration and reluctance, as players express a strong aversion to additional downloadable content (DLC) despite the game's engaging elements like fighting and grinding. This suggests that while the core gameplay may evoke some emotional investment, the presence of DLC detracts from the overall experience for some users.
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is considered limited due to a lack of variety, with some reviewers suggesting that other roguelike or arena shooting games offer better replay value for the price. While there is some interest in replaying the game, particularly for fans of its fanservice elements, it may not appeal to those seeking a more substantial experience.
“If you're going to buy this game and hope for SAO + Serious Sam quality, I'm going to say 'no man, it's not worth your time.' The variety of this game is very low, and with the game priced like this, just go buy other roguelike or arena shooting games. I'm pretty sure those games might have more replayability than this.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for being simplistic and slightly buggy, with frequent jiggling issues reported by users.
“Very simplistic, slightly buggy, and lots of jiggling.”